M.Y World @ Yishun Palm Breeze: Powering Sustainability with Mindfulness

The title of M.Y World @ Yishun Palm Breeze's Start Small Dream Big (SSDB) Project, ‘Big Earth, Little Me’, resounds the overall sentiment of the venture – to inculcate in young children a deep compassion for the environment and an awareness about sustainable habits.

A student pledging to save the earth by placing her painted palm on a canvas

A true passion project, the theme of the initiative was crafted with the combined effort of both the teachers and students. The children’s opinions and interests were thoroughly considered before solidification.

The project was an extension of the preschool’s sustainability project, which took place in December of last year, therefore upcycling was much highlighted. The children attending Kindergarten 1 and 2 had their hands full with developing a sustainability garden. Recyclables such as soda bottles were sourced and used in place of pots and planters.

A student is engaged in watering budding tomato seeds part of the centre’s sustainability garden

However, the focus for the younger children attending Nursery 1 and 2 lay in learning how to care for and empathise with animals. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the preschool decided against carrying out field trips to the zoo or pet stores.

Nevertheless, they still wanted their students to gain some exposure to animals. So, they enlisted the help of an intern who had a pet hamster. Sher brought the furry rodent to class and enabled the wide-eyed students to have a face-to-face interaction with the adorable animal. On top of that, she imparted knowledge on responsible pet ownership.

Throughout the project, M.Y World @ Yishun Palm Breeze attempted to emphasise the value of mindfulness, as they believed that if the students possessed that attribute, the sustainable habits they were learning currently could take on significance in their adult future.

There was one element out of the entirety of the venture that really stood out – the resilience of the teachers. The Principal of the centre, Ms Joanne Macavinta, shared that she felt that the educators worked doubly hard to ensure the students were engaged in innovative new ways in the face of COVID-19 restrictions.

She acknowledges the increased struggles of educators during this uncertain period and offers some encouraging words, “Just press on, hang in there. We are very hopeful that soon we will have more bandwidth and opportunities. Let’s continue to strive hard.”

Find out more about M.Y World's curriculum!